Grant will help library keep written past alive
FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — The Fort Fairfield Public Library has been awarded a $2,000 grant from the Ruth Reed Mraz Family Memorial Fund to assist staff in their digital archiving efforts.
Thanks to the funding, library personnel will be able to save 20 years’ worth of historic newspapers.
Librarians have worked to preserve newspapers stored in their collections by having them digitally photographed and catalogued. The information and pictures contained in the papers is then posted in a searchable online database that is free for the public to access. So far the library has been able to archive papers from Fort Fairfield and the surrounding area that date back as far as 1863.
“We thank the Ruth Reed Mraz Family Memorial Fund for their generous grant and look forward to using this money to preserve more of the history of our town and our region,” stated head librarian, Jennifer Gaenzle.
“This grant will allow us to digitally preserve 20 more years of our historic newspaper archives,” explained Gaenzle. “We have already begun preserving newspapers from throughout northern Aroostook County from the mid-1800s into the early 20th century, allowing folks free access to these resources anytime from anywhere.”
Gaenzle said they have been archiving papers as funds have become available, and currently papers from 1863 through 1929 have been digitized and catalogued. She believes this grant will allow them to fully digitize and preserve newspapers from the 1930s and 1940s.
The librarian invites people interested in the history of the area, conducting genealogical research or just curious about the collection to visit fortfairfield.advantage-preservation.com/ and search around.
For more information, contact Gaenzle at 472-3880 or email library@fortfairfield.org, or contact Fort Fairfield’s marketing director, Tim Goff, at 472-3802 or tgoff@fortfairfield.org.
